Sickness In The Great Valley
by Vitani825
Summary: With the grown ups getting sick one-by-one, it's up to the young ones to take care of them.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Land Before Time characters. Only my OC's.**

 **A/N: Some of my OC's will make an appearance; however, some will only appear in flashbacks.**

The Great Valley seemed like a paradise for leaf eating dinosaurs of all kinds. It might keep out meat eating dinosaurs; however, the leaf eaters aren't immune to diseases or illnesses. One day during breakfast, Kosh seemed to have trouble just getting to his feet; he heard gurgling noises from the pit of his stomach and felt his muscles aching.

"*tsk* I wonder if any of the others are feeling like this," Kosh told himself.

After a few attempts to stand, he finally was able to get to his feet. However, a wave of dizziness prompted him to sit down for a moment. Once it passed, he stood up again and wandered over to the Feeding Grounds. Upon reaching his destination, he was stopped by Grandpa Longneck. The aging male lowered his head to get a better look at the clubtail.

"Are you sure you should be up and around? You don't look so good," Grandpa commented.

Kosh shrugged him off like any stubborn dinosaur would; even if the elder was just expressing his concern for his health.

"Don't worry about me; I think I just need some food to get my strength up," Kosh responded.

"All right; but, if you start feeling worse, it would be a good idea to go home and rest," Grandpa stated.

Kosh groaned and rolled his eyes. The longneck may have had a point; but, Kosh found it annoying to have stuff pointed out to him as if he was a child. To his relief, Grandpa wasn't trying to annoy him with questions about his health; he was just concerned. Just then, Kosh grabbed a few treestars from a bush with his mouth and started chewing. When he tried to swallow the thoroughly chewed food, he was having trouble getting it down his throat. Once he did manage to swallow the food, he found himself trying to fight a wave of nausea. Once again, Grandpa looked at him; a smug expression was seen on his face.

"Just to let you know; saying I told you so just doesn't cut it right now," Kosh snarled while walking away.

 _"How'd he know I was gonna say that?"_ Grandpa thought.

Grandpa shook his head and wandered over to a tree to get some treestars. Soon enough, Topsy walked up to him. Apparently, he had overheard the conversation he had with Kosh.

"What was that about?" Topsy questioned.

"Kosh is pretty sick and he was trying to hide it; however, I could see it's hard to hide an illness; I've been guilty of trying to hide illnesses during my childhood; especially with colds and shit; I got tired of being treated like a baby whenever I got sick; Mother would go back to bathing me herself and wouldn't let me go to a relief spot by myself either; she never did this with my sisters whenever they got sick and it was so friggin' annoying considering I was the one who hatched first; *tsk* mothers; you know," Grandpa explained.

"Yeah; mothers can be more protective of their sons than their daughters; it's more of the father's job to protect their daughters," Topsy stated.

Grandpa nodded. However, he felt better about discussing his experience with illnesses from his childhood.

"There is one thing I neglected to mention during my rant; I almost succumbed every time to extreme high body temperature; and after I got well, Mother would punish me for a month; at least, she didn't believe in spanking; just grounding me to the nest and escorting me if I was hungry, thirsty or if I had to relieve myself; here's the catch; according to her, she HAD to be there and watch me to make sure I didn't get away; if I felt like I was being watched, I couldn't go; whether it was number one or number two; didn't matter," Grandpa added.

Topsy nodded. His own mother may have been a bit overprotective, but, not like Grandpa's mother.

"What your mother did to you makes my mother seem like a saint; and I always thought threehorn mothers were more protective of their sons," Topsy commented.

Grandpa sighed and nodded.

Meanwhile, Kosh was wandering around the valley; he might not have been feeling very good, but, he has certainly felt worse before. The aftertaste of the treestars still lingered in his mouth; which was weird since he usually doesn't mind it.

"Maybe a drink of water will get rid of the aftertaste," Kosh told himself.

Upon reaching a watering hole, he took a few sips of water. However, that particular pool of water was colder than some of the others; and cold water during an illness was hard on his stomach. He soon began to feel nauseous; however, he managed to settle his stomach before he started throwing up all over the place.

"Man, that's annoying," Kosh told himself.

Soon enough, Mr. Thicknose made his way over to the clubtail. He noticed that the younger male's muzzle was pale and that he has bags under his eyes and his face was all sweaty.

"Looks like you've caught that virus that has been going around," Mr. Thicknose told him.

Kosh shrugged him off.

"Ah, I'm fine," Kosh tried to sound reassuring.

"You're not fine; from the looks of things, it seems like you haven't been getting enough sleep over the last few days; and I noticed that you're not eating enough to satisfy a child's hunger; don't you usually eat an entire bush of treestars along with a bush of sweet bubbles and five tree sweets at breakfast?" Mr. Thicknose wondered.

Kosh turned his head, closed his eyes and held up his right forepaw.

"Stop! All this talk about food makes me want to puke!" Kosh exclaimed.

"All right, I'll stop; but, you know I'm right," Mr. Thicknose teased him.

After managing to fight off yet another wave of nausea, Kosh turned back around to Mr. Thicknose. Soon enough, the elder saw the younger male shivering and checked him over.

"Sore throat, fever, nausea, aches and pains, a stuffy nose; and of course, dizziness; looks like you're sick; how about you go home and get some rest; the illness should be gone within a week or two," Mr. Thicknose responded.

Kosh nodded and headed back to his nest.

Once he was out of earshot, Grandpa Longneck showed up behind Mr. Thicknose.

"I'd like to say I told you so to him; but, I held my tongue," Grandpa commented.

"Yeah; that guy is the most stubborn dinosaur I've ever known; next to you, that is," Mr. Thicknose stated.

"I beg your pardon?" Grandpa demanded.

Mr. Thicknose turned to face the younger elder.

"When you were a kid and would get sick; I'd give your mother instructions of how to treat your illnesses and you always insisted that you were fine," Mr. Thicknose answered.

"Ah, that was just to keep Mother from babying me; I was sick and tired, literally; but, also sick and tired of being treated like a baby just because of an illness; this was a subject I was talking to Topsy about earlier; and how annoyed I got at her and I have told her so many times to leave me alone so I can recover during my childhood," Grandpa ranted on.

"What has gotten you so annoyed? Is it because I said you were stubborn during your childhood?" Mr. Thicknose demanded.

"That's pretty much it, yeah," Grandpa answered.

"Sorry, I was just being honest; you really were stubborn and yet had the tendency to assert your independence from a very young age which annoyed your mother," Mr. Thicknose said.

Grandpa nodded.

Soon enough, he remembered one time after he had recovered from an illness.

 _Flashback_

 _A 6 year old Kenneth has just recovered from a very bad cold; however, during the illness, he stubbornly resisted the care of his mother since she had the tendency to baby him. Just when he was about to go off with his friends, he was pulled back by his mother's tail._

 _"Where do you think you're going, young man?" Lillian demanded._

 _"Out to play," Kenneth answered._

 _Lillian sighed._

 _"You're not going anywhere for the next month; at least not without an escort; and you're going back to get tongue baths for the duration of your punishment," Lillian scolded him._

 _"A month? Mother, that's not fair," Kenneth complained._

 _"Listen to me VERY CAREFULLY; you don't get to decide what's fair and what's not since you're a child and I'm a grown up; and as your mother, I get to punish you the way I see fit; you nearly died since you let your body temperature reach a dangerous level and I was scared for you; and as a result, you're not playing with any of your friends and they will not be coming over here," Lillian explained._

 _"I don't care what you say; I draw the line at tongue bathing," Kenneth snarled._

 _"Who's the parent here? You or me?" Lillian demanded._

 _Kenneth was rendered speechless; he has never seen his mother this angry before and curled his tail around his body while he was sitting down._

 _"Whether you agree with this or not, the punishment stands," Lillian added._

 _Kenneth sighed and nodded._

 _Flashback end_

"This makes me glad that I hardly ever got sick when I got older," Grandpa claimed.

Mr. Thicknose nodded.

Both males were hoping that none of the other herd members would get sick and also hoped for Kosh to get better fast.


	2. Chapter 2

Kosh was back at his nest trying to rest; however, he was unable to get back to sleep. He soon felt hotter than he did an hour ago when he had encountered Mr. Thicknose. The shaking chills soon started taking over his body; just as things seemed to get better, Kosh's condition has gotten worse. In addition to the chills, his coughing fits were getting worse and more frequent. His eyes would water every time he experienced a coughing fit.

"I haven't felt like this since I was little," Kosh said once the coughing fit stopped.

Meanwhile, the herd was having a meeting; it was different without Kosh there to stir up trouble with Topsy.

"Where's the big galoot? He's responsible for a lot of the sweet bubbles gone missing from the bushes at the Thundering Falls!" Mr. Maia sneered.

"He has fallen ill; and really, Mrs. Maia? Stooping to name calling? *tsk tsk tsk* So immature," Topsy said.

"Who asked you, anyway?" Mrs. Maia retorted.

"You did when you were wondering about Kosh's whereabouts," Topsy replied.

Mrs. Maia rolled her eyes.

"I'd love to give that girl a tail-whip to the buttocks," Topsy whispered to Grandpa.

"I'm sure lots of us would like to do the same thing," Grandpa whispered back.

Back at Kosh's nest, Kosh was panting heavily; if he didn't take care of himself, he could die since his fever just keeps getting higher. The pain in his throat was getting worse and so was his headache. However, he could still move around; but, it's only to get a drink and to relieve himself; other than that, he would continue to lie down in his nest. He wiped at his forehead with the back of his right forepaw since some drops of sweat were about to get into his eyes.

"So dizzy; nauseous and so hot," Kosh moaned.

Just when he was about to get up and go to a relief spot, he threw up the few treestars he ate earlier along with the dinner he ate the night before. Luckily for him, the chunks that came up were tiny since he chewed thoroughly. However, his sore throat made vomiting that much more painful. To make matters worse, Grandpa Longneck had just been walking by and saw it happen; Kosh face palmed himself since the elder saw him throwing up. However, Grandpa didn't make a big deal out of it since he has seen others throw up before and he has done so himself more often in his younger years.

"*groan* Sorry you had to see that," Kosh admitted.

"Ah, don't be silly; your body was obviously trying to tell you something," Grandpa said.

"I didn't get enough time to get to a relief spot; it's one of those times when it happens suddenly; I'm just glad my bowels didn't void themselves while I was throwing up; I hate both things; vomiting and diarrhea," Kosh stated.

"I don't know anyone who likes seeing anyone puking and crapping at the same time or doing those things themselves; I sure didn't; and I still do hate it," Grandpa explained.

Kosh nodded. He then stood up and cleaned up the vomit and then disposed of the leaves.

"There's no reason to be embarrassed," Grandpa reassured him.

"If my father saw me like this; he'd think I'm just weak; REAL males don't get sick; they're tough! That's what he would probably say," Kosh exclaimed.

"Sounds just like my father; with the way he treated me and being taught that illnesses and emotions were for females and gay males; that's why I always tried to make it look like I was completely healthy even when I was very sick; you can fake being well with a cold; but, with a stomach virus, it's a bit harder since you never know if you're gonna throw up or get diarrhea; or both at the same time," Grandpa explained.

"Oh, so your father didn't want you showing any weakness and your mother became overprotective just to help you get better faster; and you just wanted to get better on your own and not have your mother there to do EVERYTHING for you," Kosh claimed.

Grandpa nodded.

Meanwhile at the Tall Trees, the Gang of Five were lazing around underneath a large, fully bloomed tree.

"Petrie hope illness no spread to more of us; me no like seeing others sick," Petrie stated.

"I do not like it either, Petrie," Ducky added.

Littlefoot looked over and noticed his grandma in the distance; she appeared to be checking up on Mr. Thicknose. The eldest member of the herd somehow has been hit harder with the virus than Kosh; it was mostly due to his advanced age.

"Oh, no, no, no; poor Mr. Thicknose; I do wish he does not die; he is still a bit too young," Ducky commented.

The gang got a bit closer; but, not enough to be seen. They saw that Mr. Thicknose was lying down on his side and breathing heavily; apparently, he was having trouble breathing since his chest was moving up and down at a fast pace. To make matters worse, he was shaking uncontrollably; which meant that his body temperature was very high.

"Just the other day, Mr. Thicknose told us of this one plant that will help with the uncontrollable shakes, coughing fits and fever; but, it grows far into the Mysterious Beyond; we have to hurry; and make sure to get enough for the herd; hopefully we could get Hyp, Mutt and Nod to go along with it; their fathers might be at risk, too, just like our families and everyone else," Littlefoot explained.

The others nodded and followed Littlefoot in the direction Mr. Thicknose said for them to go and get the plant. While on the way, they met up with the bullies and explained that if they don't come along, they won't be able to gather enough plants to cure the herd and many of them could lose their parents; or in Littlefoot's case, his grandparents. The bullies eventually agreed since they have all lost their mothers when they were little; although, Mutt's mother died while he was still in his egg; and Nod's mother and Hyp's mother died while on the journey to the Great Valley. After that, the eight of them continued on their journey.


	3. Chapter 3

Over the course of the day, the herd has been trying to take care of Kosh and Mr. Thicknose. The sick males were brought together since it was just easier instead of making someone go from one end of the valley to the other to look after them individually. They were quarantined in a cave big enough to fit an entire herd of longnecks, and then some. For poor Kosh, he wasn't able to even keep water down; and Mr. Thicknose could barely keep his eyes open. However, they kept on giving them water whether they could keep it down or not just to keep them hydrated and to keep them from the point of dry heaving.

Some of them even volunteered to try and cool them down by placing wet treestars on their heads. Even though Topsy and Kosh sometimes butt heads with each other, the threehorn remained sympathetic to his condition since he didn't want him to die; he felt the same way for Mr. Thicknose. All of a sudden, he heard the sound of worried voices from a distance. The three voices he heard came from Hyp, Nod and Mutt's fathers. The three of them had been looking for their respective sons all morning and haven't found them.

"*tsk* Where could they be?" Nicholas asked.

"Uh yeah," Mutt's father replied.

"Guys; I have a feeling they might have gone to the Mysterious Beyond; since Mr. Thicknose and Kosh are ill and they might get worse; so, they might have taken the hatchlings with them to find a medicine plant," Nod's father stated.

"Or...maybe that Littlefoot kid led them out," Nicholas told him.

"Uh; which one is Littlefoot again?" Mutt's father asked.

"He's the longneck; the kid who was taken in by his grandparents after his mother died on the journey to the Great Valley," Nicholas answered.

"Oh; now I know who you mean," Mutt's father said.

Nicholas just rolled his eyes.

 _"Ugh, that guy's as dumb as his son,"_ Nicholas thought.

And with that, the adult trio continued their search for their sons.

Meanwhile, the eight young ones were just entering the Mysterious Beyond. There were many paths for them to take; and just like their journey to the Great Valley, Littlefoot and Cera fought over which path to take.

"Come on, it's this way," Cera stated pointing to the left with her nose horn.

"Uh-uh; it's that way," Littlefoot argued while looking straight ahead.

"Longnecks have NO sense of direction; whoever wants to go the RIGHT way is welcome to follow me; the rest of you can follow Littlefoot if you want, but, I think MY way is quicker," Cera sneered.

Although Littlefoot has grown up within the last three years since arriving at the valley; but, Cera's cocky attitude and her tendency to butt heads with him tends to drive him nuts.

"I do not think that is right," Ducky claimed.

"Yeah, well, that shows how much different you are than me; I think we should go that way," Cera stated.

Back at the valley, Mr. Thicknose appeared to be in a comatose state. He is alive; but, just barely. He is also becoming dehydrated due to being unable to keep anything down; just like Kosh. The clubtail wasn't doing much better; although, he is managing to stay awake. His body odor was becoming overpowering; however, it's more important to try and keep him alive than forcing him to take a bath in his current condition.

"Sure hope they get better soon," Topsy commented.

"Mr. Thicknose, maybe; not so sure about Kosh," Mrs. Maia sneered.

Topsy turned to the grouchy female.

"If you're not gonna change your tone from bitchy to sympathetic, I suggest you beat it," Topsy retorted.

Mrs. Maia grunted indignantly and then stomped away from the area while clenching her fists.

"I think that girl needs a serious attitude adjustment," Topsy added.

"And to chill out; I know she hates me for some unknown reason; but, I heard that she basically wishes that I wouldn't get better," Kosh said.

"What is up with that, anyway? Why does she have to be so grouchy?" Ariel asked.

Kosh looked at Ducky's mother and shrugged.

"No idea; then again, she's like that with the majority of the herd," Kosh answered.

Ariel nodded.

Meanwhile back in the Mysterious Beyond, Littlefoot and Cera were still going at it. The other six didn't want to choose sides in the argument. However, Cera was once again trying to gain dominance over the group.

"I say we go left," Cera said.

"Straight ahead; that's what Mr. Thicknose told me," Littlefoot argued.

"That old coot doesn't know what he's talking about half the time," Cera retorted.

"Uh, guys; now's not the time for arguing; we still need to find those medicine plants; the longer we stand and argue, the more likely it will be for the sick grown ups to die," Hyp urged them on.

Littlefoot and Cera eventually relented and they all went Littlefoot's way instead of going left like Cera said.

It seems like everything is getting worse for poor old Mr. Thicknose. At first, his condition was stable; now, his breathing patterns are unsteady. His body is having a hard time fighting off the illness even with some healing flowers. The healthy dinosaurs were doing anything they could to help bring his fever down; however, nothing seemed to be working. He remained comatose; but, still alive. Although, with the intense heat, it was only a matter of time before his body shuts down if the kids don't get back from the Mysterious Beyond with the medicine plant. Kosh looked over at the elder; he was hoping that he could pull through. However, he wasn't about to get his hopes up.

"I sure hope Mr. Thicknose isn't gonna die; not like this; dying in your sleep surrounded by friends and family is the best way to go," Grandpa claimed.

"I agree; but, I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you," Kosh told him.

Grandpa sighed and knew that Kosh was right. Despite Kosh's condition, he was still able to think and speak clearly. However, the herd continued to tend to the sick dinosaurs.


	4. Chapter 4

Despite Hyp's upbringing with a single parent, he was pretty good at settling disputes between other dinosaurs. It seems as though he gets guidance from his mother while he dreams at night. She was always the level-headed of Hyp and her mate right up until she fell into the big underground during the Great Earthshake and died along with Nod's mother.

"Me never knew Hyp so good at settling arguments," Petrie responded.

"Yeah; I could thank my mother for that, if she was still alive, that is; I was told that I can be wise like her if I wanted; but, with my dad's short temper," Hyp explained.

The others nodded.

"I never knew why your dad was so tough on you, Hyp," Cera said.

"It's partly how he was raised; he never met his mother since she died before he hatched; and when my mother died during the Great Earthshake while I was just a little older than you are now; he was just so distraught by the tragedy that he always seemed to be on such a short fuse if he thought I was in trouble or making trouble," Hyp replied.

"Sounds a lot like my dad; my mother died while on the journey to the Great Valley as well; only, she didn't die during the actual Earthshake; while on the journey, an illness hit her along with my nestmates; Dad did everything he could to make them feel better; but, it wasn't quite enough; ever since then, he became very protective of me," Cera explained.

"Wow! You and me have more in common than I thought," Hyp stated.

Cera nodded.

Back at the Great Valley, Topsy was noticing a slight change in behavior from Kosh. The clubtail was always a bit on the obnoxious side; and now that he's very sick, he has become very quiet.

 _"It might have something to do with Mr. Thicknose being in a far worse state than he is,"_ Topsy thought.

"Kosh, Mr. Thicknose isn't gonna die without a fight; we'll make sure to keep both of you alive," Topsy told him.

Kosh said nothing; which was very unlike his usual self since he'd usually argue with the other herd members.

Meanwhile over at Ducky and Spike's nest, their mother seemed to have troubles getting up.

"Ugh; okay, Ariel, keep it together," Ariel told herself.

Just then, a wave of nausea hit and her stomach emptied all of its contents on the ground in front of her. She choked on the aftertaste before going to get some water in a treestar to water down the vomit so it won't do so much damage to the grass. After that, she took a refreshing drink of water to rinse out her mouth.

Meanwhile, Hyp, Nod and Mutt's fathers were on the trail to find the young ones.

"Are you sure this is the right way?" Mutt's father asked.

"Of course I'm sure!" Nicholas barked back.

"Wow! It's no wonder where Hyp got his short temper," Nod's father whispered to Mutt's father.

"Oh, shut up and follow me," Nicholas sneered.

The other two followed closely behind the angry male.

"Like father, like son," Mutt's father muttered under his breath.

Later in the day, the eight kids were continuing the journey towards the medicine plant. However, Spike was sidetracked and started eating from a large bush of strange looking leaves.

"Come on, Spike! Now is not the time for eating!" Ducky exclaimed.

Just as Spike swallowed a bunch of food, he let out a big belch.

"Ahhh," Spike sighed happily.

Petrie gasped.

"Me got bad feeling something wrong in Great Valley," Petrie responded.

"I have a feeling we might be getting chased by a sharptooth or Ichy and Dil," Cera stated.

The trio of bullies were confused.

"Dil is a partially blind belly dragger and Ichy is her sharp beak companion that acts as her eyes; we met up with them a while back when we went to the Land of Mists to get the Night Flower to cure my grandpa of his illness," Littlefoot explained.

"Gee, thanks for clearing that up," Hyp commented.

"No problem," Littlefoot said.

Just when things started looking up, the eight kids were being pursued by Ichy and Dil. However, it seems as though Dil's eyesight was much worse.

"It's those kids, Dil; the ones we tried to kill and eat the last time we met; although, there are three dinosaurs I'm not familiar with; a runner, a weird looking duck bill and a spikeback," Ichy explained.

Even though the kids were in front of them, Dil couldn't really see them.

"Follow my lead; then, you can sic 'em; but, I better get a bigger portion of the spiketail than you gave me of those egg stealers you ate this morning," Itchy demanded.

Once the kids managed to get Spike away from the bush, they all ran for their lives, with Ichy and Dil not too far behind.

Back at the Great Valley, Mr. Thicknose was somehow staying alive; some of the herd members had managed to bring his fever down a bit; they managed the same with Kosh. Although, both males still felt pretty bad; they weren't in danger of dying just yet. Suddenly, Topsy noticed that Ariel wasn't among the crowd; so, he decided to go to Ducky and Spike's nest to check on the swimmer. Upon his arrival, he saw her lying down and shivering.

"My goodness, Ariel, you look terrible," Topsy commented.

The swimmer nodded and managed to get to her feet. Topsy offered to let her ride on his back so she could get to the sick cave. She gladly obliged since most of her energy was gone from her body due to the intense heat she was feeling.


	5. Chapter 5

While on the run from Ichy and Dil, the eight kids met up with the bullies' fathers. Hyp ran into the embrace of his father, Mutt did the same with his father and Nod nuzzled his father.

"You kids had us all worried; but, we're so glad you're okay," Nod's father claimed.

"Me hate to break up moment here; but, we still chased by a big mouth belly dragger and a sharp beak; they almost caught up to us," Petrie squawked frantically while flying around.

Hyp, Nod and Mutt's fathers looked behind and saw the duo gaining on them.

"Hurry!" Littlefoot exclaimed.

The slightly larger group ran as fast as they could and tried to find a good hiding spot. They soon found a less than decent sized cave to hide in for a while.

"Now we can relax," Petrie stated while panting.

"Yep, yep, yep," Ducky added with a sigh.

"What now, guys? We can't hide out here forever," Hyp replied.

The others nodded in agreement.

"But, what can we do to fend off the belly dragger and the sharp beak? It's not like any of us are strong enough to hold our own against a fully grown belly dragger individually; however, the sharp beak might be easier to take out because of his size," Cera explained.

"Me think you have something there; if we all work together, we may just defeat them...again," Petrie told her.

Soon enough, everyone agreed.

"Lets go kick some butt," Cera declared.

Then, the eleven dinosaurs started to come up with a plan.

Back at the Great Valley, Grandpa was noticing that something was wrong with Grandma. She seemed to be moving slower than normal, and it wasn't because of old age. So, he wandered over to see if she was okay.

"Don't worry about me; I'm fine," Grandma said before she started coughing.

Her voice sounded really scratchy whenever she tried to talk; and each time would bring on a coughing fit. Luckily for him, she managed to cover her face before a coughing fit would start.

"You don't sound fine; I suggest you try and get some sleep since you've barely taken a break from tending to the sick; and I think it has taken a toll on your health; how about I take over for a while," Grandpa told her.

"But, dear-"

"No buts; and, I think it would be a good idea to rest your voice for a while, too," Grandpa stated, firmly.

Grandma sighed in defeat and wandered into the sick cave to lie down and sleep. Grandpa hated to think of what might happen next; would Grandma suffer worse than even Mr. Thicknose? He had no idea. However, he decided to remain positive that the sick herd members would get better and that the kids and the bullies' fathers would come back safely with the medicine plant.

Back in the Mysterious Beyond, Hyp was acting as the distraction; much to his father's dismay.

"Want me? Come and get me you big, dumb old belly dragger," Hyp sneered.

Then, Hyp ran as fast as he could and then dove into a bush; Dil had lost sight of him.

"Where'd he go, Ichy?" Dil wondered.

"Huh, you got me," Ichy answered.

While the bumbling duo searched for Hyp, it gave the others a chance to escape.

"Argh! You let those kids get away...AGAIN! Same with those grown ups and other kids!" Ichy snarled.

"It was an accident, Ichy, you know my eye sight sucks now," Dil protested.

Meanwhile the kids were hiding, in the bushes, Hyp was feeling uncomfortable.

"Oh, I knew I shouldn't have eaten all that stinkweed," Hyp stated.

"No, no, no, no, no, no," Ducky pleaded.

Spike dug his head into the ground in anticipation of a foul smell that's due to come.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHPPPPPPPPPPPPPPBBBBBBBBBBBBT

Just then, Hyp sighed with relief.

"That's so much better," Hyp said.

"That's disgusting; you could have had the decency to say excuse me after you FARTED," Cera exclaimed.

Spike raised his head from the hole in the ground and grumbled in agreement. Much to their horror, Ichy and Dil had found them. The large group started running for their lives once again; however, Petrie opted to ride on Littlefoot's head and Ducky rode on Spike's back.

"Oh crap! You just HAD to fart, didn't you?" Cera sneered.

"There's no time for arguments; we have to find the medicine plant and bring it back to the Great Valley," Littlefoot exclaimed.

The group was hoping that they could evade Ichy and Dil for a while so they could continue with their quest. However, despite Dil's worsened eye sight, her sense of smell hasn't failed.


	6. Chapter 6

Grandma was lying down in the sick cave; however, her condition is becoming worse; besides the inflammation in her throat, it's spreading to her chest and lungs. Her coughing fits are so severe that the pain in her throat brings tears to her eyes. To top it off, she felt like her body was on fire and she was having trouble breathing and keeping down solid food.

Grandpa came by to check on her; it saddened him to see her in this condition and hoped that the kids along with Hyp, Nod, Mutt and their fathers return to give the sick dinosaurs the medicine plant.

"Dear..." Grandma said in a weak and scratchy voice.

"Try not to talk for a while; you need to let your throat heal; and I always thought you liked to sleep on your stomach," Grandpa responded.

"Ugh; it hurts too much for me to lie down on it; that's why I decided to lie down on my side," Grandma stated.

Grandpa nodded. His expression changed upon seeing a tear leak from the female's right eye; he then gently licked it away, which earned a weak chuckle and a small smile from Grandma.

"Just...just keep...trying...to rest...all right...I love you," Grandpa stuttered a bit.

"I love you, too," Grandma replied.

Now, Grandpa's eyes were filling with tears since he was very scared and hoped that Grandma's life along with the other sick herd members could be spared. Soon enough, he walked away from the sick cave and met up with Topsy.

"*sniff* Life's so unfair sometimes," Grandpa muttered.

"I know," Topsy stated.

Grandpa sighed and noticed that Topsy wasn't as energetic as he usually is.

"Are you getting sick, too?" Grandpa asked.

"I don't think so; I feel fine," Topsy answered.

"I was just wondering; you don't look fine to me," Grandpa claimed.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine," Topsy assured him.

"Okay," Grandpa stated.

Topsy nodded.

"I sure hope we get the medicine plant on time; what we all have to do is think positive," Topsy commented.

Grandpa nodded.

Back in the Mysterious Beyond, the eleven dinosaurs have come across a meadow of plants. Luckily for them, they didn't have to wait until dark since they are constantly in bloom.

"Come on everbody; we'll be there soon; make sure to grab as many as you can; we should be back at the Great Valley within a few days," Littlefoot explained.

The others nodded as they continued their walk.

Back at the Great Valley, Topsy was walking around; however, he was starting to feel stiff; his stomach was making gurgling noises and his head was pounding. He had assumed that it was something he ate; however, he now felt like his body was on fire and he had trouble keeping his eyes open. Apparently, he has been trying to hide his condition for a few days since he wanted to appear tough and not let an illness stop him from going about his usual routine.

"*gulp, sneeze* Excuse me," Topsy muttered.

"Why'd you excuse yourself? I didn't hear you burp or fart," Grandpa responded.

Topsy rubbed his eyes before looking up at the elder.

"I was taught that it's good manners to excuse myself when I sneeze as well as burping and farting; although, trying to fart right now might not be a good idea, since, I might shit on myself," Topsy explained.

"Gotcha; wouldn't want the fart to come out unless you're in a relief spot if your bowel movement is really soft or watery; I've dealt with that shit with certain illnesses throughout my life; and when I ate rotten tree sweets on a dare when I was about 5," Grandpa said.

Topsy hung out his tongue in disgust and turned his head away.

"Hey, shit happens," Grandpa replied.

Topsy turned his head back around and nodded. All of a sudden, he felt like he needed to rush over to some bushes. His body emptied itself from both ends at once; since Grandpa had more respect for personal space, he stayed where he was instead of going after the threehorn.

"Huh; I knew he was tired; but, I didn't expect this virus to hit him this bad so soon," Grandpa muttered.

After about a half an hour, Grandpa found Topsy just getting out from under a waterfall after he had finished taking a shower. Luckily for them, that watering place wasn't typically used for drinking; however, both males took a drink from the water since they were thirsty.

"Ugh..." Topsy stated while sitting down.

Grandpa noticed how sickly Topsy looked and wondered if there was anything he could do to make him feel better.

"Are you strong enough to walk to the sick cave, or do you need help?" Grandpa questioned.

Topsy stood up.

"I'll let you know if I start getting dizzy, all right? Feel free to walk next to me, I don't mind," Topsy answered.

Grandpa agreed; although, he wasn't sure if it was something Topsy would say if he was well, or if he was getting delirious. However, the elder wanted to make sure that Topsy got to the sick cave safe and sound. Moments later, the two males walked back to the sick cave.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Strut reappears; since he hasn't made a comeback in the TV series or in any of the other sequels, I have decided to give him a minor role in this story. Not sure how I'm gonna make him relevant to the plot; but, I always felt like he doesn't have a fully developed personality due to Ozzie. Speaking of which, Ozzie is dead in this story and Strut is missing him. It was stated in the 2nd movie that they are brothers; but, never explicitly stated if they were the same age; it's just part of my head canon.**

Meanwhile with the newly formed Gang of Eight along with Hyp, Mutt and Nod's fathers, they managed to collect as many white flowers as they could. Just as they were about to leave, Ichy and Dil had caught up with them.

"Told ya we'd get 'em sooner or later; sic 'em Dil," Ichy commanded.

However, only ten of the dinosaurs were able to get away. Hyp turned his head back and saw his father trying to fend off Ichy and Dil.

"Dad, come on!" Hyp exclaimed.

"Just go, I'll catch up!" Nicholas commanded.

The grey teen did what he was told and left with the others. Dil licked her chops as saliva dripped from her jaws. Apparently, the last meal she had was a small family of egg stealers; she's the main reason why Strut is missing his brother Ozzie. The egg stealer felt like he was nothing without his evil twin to back him up. He still had a special bond with him, even if they were just fraternal twins; and he would be greatly missed.

"Oh, Ozzie; I'll exact my revenge on that big mouth belly dragger if it's the last thing I do," Strut said to himself.

The egg stealer saw a grey runner trying to fight Ichy and Dil; however, since it was two against one, Strut came out of hiding and chomped onto Dil's tail.

"Why you little..." Dil growled while swinging Strut around.

That gave Nicholas enough time to get away. After that, Strut let go and managed to catch up. Dil and Ichy weren't gonna give up that easily and continued to chase the others.

"You're gonna regret the day you bit my tail!" Dil snarled.

"I was just getting you back for killing and eating my brother, you lump head!" Strut retorted.

Ichy flew ahead and tried to bite at Strut's neck; however, Strut managed to dodge the attack and grabbed Ichy by the throat in his hand. Then, he shook him hard and threw him at Dil's head. That made the sharpbeak go unconscious; since Dil was almost blind, she'd be lost if Ichy was killed. However, it would be easier for the others to make it back to the Great Valley with the cure. Once the other two adults caught up with the others, the kids looked at Strut.

"What are you doing here, and where is your brother?" Cera demanded.

"He was eaten by that big mouth belly dragger a while back; by the way, kid, I can only assume this grey runner is your father; well, the big mouth belly dragger was about to have him for dinner when I came to his rescue," Strut said the last part to Hyp.

"I never got to thank you for saving me; who are you?" Nicholas asked.

Strut introduced himself to the dinosaurs who haven't met him yet. Littlefoot, Cera, Ducky, Petrie and Spike were already acquainted with him because of their last encounter when they were in the Great Valley, which was a few years ago.

"I'm not sure how we'll convince the grown ups to let you live in the Great Valley because of the crap you pulled with Ozzie; Ducky nearly lost one of her siblings because of you two," Cera said.

"I wouldn't blame them if they don't want me living there; most of the crap was Ozzie's doing; I was just joining in so I could impress him; you see, I prefer green food over eggs," Strut explained.

"Well, that changes everything; you can come back with us; there is an area outside of the Great Valley where you can have enough food to last you a week or so; that is until the sickness is gone; a few of the grown ups are sick and we don't want anyone else to get sick," Littlefoot explained.

Strut nodded.

Meanwhile at the Great Valley, Grandma was in the sick cave; her breathing was shallow; due to her high temperature, it was hard for her to breathe. She was also getting dehydrated since she is unable to keep liquids down as well. Grandpa was lying down at her side to make sure that she was okay.

"Please don't die..." Grandpa muttered.

Grandma was so weak that she could barely move her neck. Grandpa was having trouble keeping his emotions under control since he couldn't do much to make her feel better.

"I have faith that the cure will get here and kill off the sickness; think positively," Grandma whispered.

Grandpa nodded.

Although, things seemed rather hopeless, he tried to remain as strong as he could for the sick herd members.


	8. Chapter 8

After a few days, the twelve dinosaurs have made it back to the Great Valley. However, Littlefoot got the surprise of his life when he saw his grandma lying down on her side, barely breathing.

"Come on, the others don't seem to be as sick; my grandma won't last much longer if she doesn't get the first portion of the plants," Littlefoot stated.

Ducky and Petrie grabbed as many plants as they could carry and went with Littlefoot over to the elderly longnecks while the others except for Strut went to the other sick herd members to give them the plants.

"Grandma, Grandpa, we're back," Littlefoot whispered.

Grandpa lowered his head to nuzzle Littlefoot.

"Oh, Littlefoot; I'm so glad that you and the others got back safely," Grandpa commented.

Soon enough, Grandma opened up her eyes and saw the kids; after that, she smirked at her mate.

"Told you so; everything will work out if you have faith," Grandma stated while sticking out her tongue.

Littlefoot chuckled.

"Oh, Grandma; even in your worst state, you still manage to make me laugh," Littlefoot commented.

Despite her illness, she still managed to chuckle. Moments later, she allowed the kids to feed her the plants; soon enough, even if she was weak, she still managed to chew and swallow.

"Now, all we can do is wait," Grandpa said.

After a few minutes, Grandma was breathing a bit better and decided to sleep it off.

"You kids can go check on the others, I'll keep an eye on her," Grandpa told them.

"Okay, Grandpa," Littlefoot said while walking away.

Ducky climbed onto Littlefoot's back from his tail and Petrie flew up ahead.

Later in the day, it seemed like the younger herd members have recovered mostly. However, the illness had hit Grandma and Mr. Thicknose too hard for their bodies to fight it off, even with medicine. Littlefoot returned to the sick cave since that's what his instincts told him. There, he saw his grandpa lying down next to his grandma's dead body; the elderly male had tears streaming down his face; Littlefoot always thought he could control his emotions.

"Oh, Littlefoot..." Grandpa muttered.

The young longneck curled up between the elder's front paws and laid his head on his right foreleg. Soon enough, the two grieving longnecks cried themselves to sleep.

By the time the evening rolled around, Topsy, Ariel and Kosh were back to normal. However, they would wait to start eating tree sweets and sweet bubbles the next morning in order to give their stomachs enough time to get strong again. The trio came across Littlefoot and the elderly longnecks; however, they noticed that the female is dead and the two males are affected by the loss; they couldn't just tell them right away that Mr. Thicknose died as well.

Grandpa and Littlefoot woke up and rubbed their eyes as they looked up at Topsy, Ariel and Kosh.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Ariel asked.

"Not for a long time; I thought the plant was gonna be enough; evidently not," Grandpa answered.

"We're very sorry for your loss," Ariel said while petting the top of Grandpa's head with her right hand.

The other two nodded in agreement.

"Thank you," Grandpa stated.

"Just to let you know, we feel much better," Topsy claimed.

"Glad to hear it; I've already lost my grandma; I wouldn't want anyone else to die," Littlefoot replied.

Topsy sighed.

"No...you don't mean..." Littlefoot said with a horrified look on his face.

"I'm afraid so; Mr. Thicknose was too weak; he gave me, Kosh and Ariel some extra plants so that we could live," Topsy explained.

Littlefoot sighed sadly.

With the loss of Mr. Thicknose and Grandma, it will take a long time before everything would be back to normal.


	9. Chapter 9

The funeral being held for Grandma Longneck and Mr. Thicknose had such an impact on the other herd members. However, Grandpa and Littlefoot were hit the hardest. In fact, during the eulogy, Grandpa was having a hard time getting the words out since he was stuttering quite a bit. Once it got to a point where all the things he was saying started to sound like gibberish, he had asked Topsy to take over. Although, the threehorn didn't have a much easier time delivering the eulogy despite being able to speak clearly.

Soon enough, everyone but Topsy, Cera, Littlefoot and Grandpa had left the area. Topsy and Cera wandered over to the grieving longnecks and tried to cheer them up. Grandpa looked up at Topsy, his eyes were red from crying and his cheeks were covered in tear stains; it was the same for Littlefoot.

"If there is anything you like us to do for you, just name it," Topsy commented.

"There's not much you can do; it'll take a long time before the grief period ends; all you and the herd can do is just be there for us like you usually are; sorry if I'm so miserable," Grandpa said.

Topsy nodded.

"Don't apologize for that; we understand that you're hurting; it took a long time for me to get over the loss of my wife and other children; Cera is all I have left," Topsy explained.

Grandpa nodded.

"It's just not fair; they didn't deserve to die," Grandpa muttered.

He then laid his head back down as more tears came to his eyes.

"I'd give anything to have them come back to life; even if it means going in their place," Grandpa added.

Topsy never thought he would hear Grandpa say anything like that; especially when there were children present.

"Kids..." Topsy said.

Cera knew that tone of voice. Topsy only used it when he didn't want to discuss certain matters when children are in ear shot. So, Cera led Littlefoot away so the adults could talk. Topsy lowered himself to the ground and then placed his right forepaw on Grandpa's left cheek.

"What is it with you? Wishing yourself to die isn't gonna bring Mr. Thicknose and your wife back to life," Topsy responded.

Grandpa sighed.

"You're right; but, it's not gonna be the same without them," Grandpa stated.

He then clenched his jaws and squeezed his eyes shut; however, the tears managed to come out. The grieving male didn't bother to wipe them away since the tears would keep on coming anyway. Grandpa was usually able to keep his emotions under control; however, the death of Grandma and Mr. Thicknose made him feel like he got trampled by a herd of obese clubtails. He then pressed his forehead against Topsy's neck; the threehorn was taken aback by this gesture since the elder was usually the one comforting others while seldom needing to be comforted. Nevertheless, Topsy didn't pull away since it would be rude if someone who is grieving needed some comfort.

"I'm sorry this happened," Topsy told him.

Grandpa didn't respond since he was too choked up. Topsy wasn't used to seeing the longneck in this state and always viewed him as a strong leader. However, the death of a loved one can do quite a bit of damage when it comes to mental health, which can also affect physical health. Soon enough, Topsy was having a hard time keeping his emotions under control; however, he still did his best to remain strong for the grieving male.

Meanwhile, Littlefoot and Cera have gone to find their friends.

"Sorry about your grandma," Hyp said.

"Uh, yeah," Mutt added.

"Thanks; but, I'm worried about Grandpa; the last time I heard him cry was when I told him how my mother had died of her injuries sustained in a battle with Sharptooth," Littlefoot explained.

Hyp sighed.

"When my mother died, my dad was devastated for a long time; there are times when I wonder if she comes to visit him in his dreams; sometimes, he'd go to sleep in a bad mood; and wake up happy; that's when I figure that my mother's presence can be felt, even if she isn't alive," Hyp replied.

Littlefoot nodded. There are times when he'd feel his own mother's presence in his dreams; and he'd wake up the next morning with a smile on his face.

Back at the gravesite, Grandpa appeared to be calmer; although, he had not moved his head. Topsy wasn't used to comforting others; however, he could actually be sympathetic if he wants to be. Moments later, Grandpa moved his head and then looked at Topsy.

"Sorry about-"

"Ah, heck, you'd do the same for me; although, you took me by surprise there," Topsy commented.

Despite still feeling upset, Grandpa managed to smile. He looked up at the sky; two clouds shaped into the heads of Grandma and Mr. Thicknose.

 _"I will always love you,"_ Grandma's spirit whispered.

 _"Don't worry about us; we'll see each other again, eventually,"_ Mr. Thicknose's spirit added.

Soon enough, a gentle breeze went through as if Grandma's spirit was giving Grandpa a loving embrace. A few tears of joy rolled down Grandpa's cheeks; he wiped them away before looking back up at the sky.

"You're always gonna be in my heart; please tell our baby girl how much I miss her," Grandpa said.

 _"She already knows how much you miss her,"_ Grandma's spirit replied.

Grandpa smiled at that. Soon enough, both spirits disappeared into the Great Beyond.

"I think I'm gonna be all right; although, it'll still take a long time to recover," Grandpa said.

Topsy nodded.

"I appreciate everything you did to cheer me up; you're such a good friend," Grandpa added.

Topsy smiled.

After the visit with Grandma and Mr. Thicknose's spirits, Grandpa's mood seemed to be getting better.


	10. Chapter 10

Although Grandma's death was hard on Grandpa, he knows that she's no longer in pain and he would see her again one day. If it weren't for Topsy lending some emotional support for the grieving male, he probably would have succumbed to his grief by now. It's true that despite their differences, they have shown each other that outward appearances aren't as important as what's on the inside. Grandpa has also shown to be a father-figure for the threehorn since they feel like they can talk to each other about anything.

"What? You're not gonna, like kiss me now, are you?" Topsy wondered.

"Unless you want to," Grandpa said.

Topsy's eyes widened in shock.

"I'm just teasing; no need to be serious all the time," Grandpa added.

Topsy rolled his eyes. Although, he's happy that the older male isn't miserable like he was earlier.

"You're a sick, twisted and sometimes a pain in the ass; but, you're also my best friend," Topsy commented.

"Oh come on, there's no need for ass kissing," Grandpa teased.

"I wouldn't go there; you might fart in my face," Topsy retorted.

Grandpa laughed.

"I don't mean it literally; now who has sick and twisted humor, huh?" Grandpa wondered.

Topsy soon let out a half-hearted chuckle.

Later in the day, the herd gathered around to reserve judgement for the now-reformed egg stealer Strut. Since Ozzie isn't at his side, Strut isn't really that bad; although, some of the members, mainly Topsy and Ariel were leery about letting him in since they had no idea if Strut was gonna put on an act in order to weaken the valley's defenses or not.

"Come on guys; I know I've done bad things in the past; but, I was mainly under the influence of Ozzie; please give me a chance, and I swear I won't cause any trouble," Strut pleaded.

The herd whispered amongst themselves before turning back to Strut. Soon enough, Grandpa stepped forward to the egg stealer.

"You may stay under two conditions; first thing; if you must forage for food; you're free to eat the small fish from the fast water; hunt in the Mysterious Beyond or you're welcome to get a share of green food; second thing; no hunting of any of the residents, and especially eggs; if you go back on your word, you will be banished; understand?" Grandpa asked.

"I understand; not to worry; I never really liked eggs that much; I might alternate between green food and fish depending on what I want to eat more," Strut answered.

Grandpa nodded.

"All right, Strut; hope you will enjoy your stay here; if you find anyone who decides to give you a hard time, come and talk to me, and I will do what I can to solve the problem," Grandpa said.

Strut nodded.

"As long as you're staying here; if you harm my Cera in any way, I'll tear you a new arse, got it?" Topsy threatened.

Strut gulped.

"You have my word; _stubborn horn-face!"_ Strut growled the last part in Sharptooth.

"Just be glad the kids and most of the adults don't understand Sharptooth; and I resent that," Topsy snarled.

Grandpa sighed and lowered his head to Topsy.

"I understand that you're not comfortable with Strut living here; but, threatening him to stay out of trouble wasn't adult-like of you; I think you should tell him you're sorry," Grandpa scolded him.

Topsy nodded.

"I'm sorry if my comment offended you; but, I hope that you understand that as a parent, I feel like it's my duty to look out for Cera since she's the only child I have left," Topsy said.

"I'm sorry, too; can we start over?" Strut asked.

Topsy nodded.

Grandpa couldn't help but be smug about this; he flashed a toothy grin much to the annoyance of Topsy.

"All right, rub it in," Topsy snarled.

Strut laughed.

Soon enough, the rest of the herd welcomed Strut into the valley. It was the start of a new beginning for the egg stealer.

"Well, Ozzie; I still miss you; but, at least I can finally get more friends," Strut said while looking up at the sky.


End file.
